THOUSANDS of litres of milk had to be poured away following a fire at a Cuddington dairy on the hot-test day of the year.

Scorching temperatures were thought to have contributed to the blaze, which left farmers with a £10,000 bill.

Two crews of firefighters from North-wich fought the flames at Rydal's Farm in Bag Lane, but were unable to save the dairy.

The fire is believed to have been started when a compressor in the roof space overheated and melted through a cable in the soaring temperatures.

The roof of the dairy was destroyed along with essential electrical equipment needed to keep the milk cool, although the stainless steel bulk tank where the milk is stored escaped practically unscathed.

Farmers Eric Dodd and his son Ian hoped to be back in business within days after arranging for new electrical equipment to be installed.

'I have been farming for over 42 years and I never remember anything like this happening before. It has been a huge blow to all of us,' said Mr Dodd Snr, 75.

'The electricity company had the electric off for a while and because of this the compressor that works the bulk tank where we store the milk stopped running. When it started up again it was too hot and it overheated and set the place on fire.

'We estimate the repairs could cost around £10,000 to cover the costs of a new roof, floor and equipment such as a new water heater, compressor and new controls for the milking parlour.

'A neighbour saw it first and alerted us, otherwise it could have been much more serious. There is a field of hay nearby and the poultry sheds are within 10ft of the dairy. We were also lucky that the cows were in the fields at the time and not up for milking.

'It has been heart-breaking to waste so much milk but we had no alternative.'